Behind the Scenes with FAMOUSLY PHOEBE, a Storystorm Success Story (plus a giveaway!)

DVD extras, artist interviews, author’s notes…I love going behind the scenes to learn how my favorite things were created. Here are some tidbits from the making of my latest picture book, FAMOUSLY PHOEBE, by the numbers:

24th idea:
In November 2014, deep into Picture Book Idea Month (now Storystorm), I jotted down my 24th idea: “A girl’s family takes so many pictures of her, she thinks she might be famous.” My daughter had been pestering me to take a picture of her new haircut and post it to Facebook. She was only seven! Kids these days. (Lesson learned: inspiration is everywhere.)

5 pitches:
After completing the month-long challenge, I had 30+ snippets of story ideas (some better than others). I selected my favorite five and crafted them into two-sentence pitches, like jacket flap copy. I emailed the five ideas to my agent, Kathleen Rushall, to see if she fancied any of them. FAMOUSLY PHOEBE stood out the most to her, so I expanded that idea into a complete story. (Lesson learned: a second opinion can be helpful, be it from an agent or a trusted critique partner)

9 critiques: Once I finished my first draft, I sent it to various critique buddies, a few at a time. After receiving feedback and letting suggestions resonate for a couple days, I made revisions. Then the new draft went out to more fresh eyes. PHOEBE had at least nine critiques before I shared the completed story with my agent. (Lesson learned: take the time to get it right)

12 art notes:
Too many? Not sure, but there were lots of spots with little jokes and no way to understand them from the text alone. My critique partners didn’t seem bothered by them and neither did my agent. She loved the story and we were ready to submit. Hot dog! (Lesson learned: I’ll never know if I’m adding too many art notes)

13 rejections:
Ugh. Was it the art notes? We received no concrete feedback from editors on changes to be made. Some already had new-sibling stories in their pipeline. Others just weren’t feeling it. My agent continued to submit to editors, reminding me of her ever-encouraging mantra, “It only takes one.” (Lesson learned: don’t give up)

1 sale:
Sterling Children’s Books made an offer, about three months into the submission process. Hooray! (Lesson learned: rejection stinks but persistence pays.)

2 editors:
The acquiring editor for FAMOUSLY PHOEBE, Zaneta Jung, left Sterling about a year after the sale. Zaneta really “got” Phoebe and helped me revise the story into something funnier and sweeter than the original. I was crushed to see her go. But my new editor, Christina Pulles, has been amazing. She included me every step of the way, sharing sketches, color art, covers ideas. She listened to my suggestions and has been incredibly helpful on the marketing end of things. (Lesson learned: roll with the punches)

1 big thanks:
To Tara, for coordinating Storystorm and for sharing so much valuable information on her blog year-round, and for letting me celebrate the release of FAMOUSLY PHOEBE here, too. And get ready for your own success stories, picture book writers. Because…

89 days:
Storystorm 2018 is right around the corner!

1 giveaway:Lori is giving away a signed copy of FAMOUSLY PHOEBE and a bunch of other Phoebe freebies. Leave a comment below to enter. A random winner will be selected in about two weeks. (Lesson learned: it’s fun to win free stuff!)

Lori Alexander is the author of BACKHOE JOE (Harper Children’s), FAMOUSLY PHOEBE (Sterling Children’s) and the upcoming ALL IN A DROP, a chapter book biography of scientist Antony van Leeuwenhoek (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). She happily shares the spotlight with her husband and two children under the star-filled skies of Tucson, AZ. You can find out more about Lori on her website at lorialexanderbooks.com or on Twitter @LoriJAlexander.

Thank you for sharing your process and reminding us to never give up. Famously Phoebe looks adorable! Congrats! I, too, love Tara and can’t wait for Storystorm 2018. There’s something so magical about it. I have a notebook of ideas to last me a life time.

Thanks for sharing the process. It’s much appreciated. Sometimes I’ve allowed the rejections to discourage me but realize that as you say, persistence can pay off! Please enter me in the contest. Thanks.

Exactly! I think it’s so funny you can order your kids’ sports pictures to look like the cover of a magazine. My five year old could barely run the bases without tripping. Not quite a Sports Illustrated all-star 🙂

I find running a few pitches by someone else super helpful, especially right after Storystorm, when you have a list of 30+ ideas and you’re not sure what to do next. Good luck with your writing, Maria!

Oh this sounds like a really fun idea! I have a manuscript that sounds similar currently in the drawer right now, but it’s a little different. I’ll be looking forward to this as a possible mentor text.

I learned a lot from your post. Very inspiring! Thank you!
You mentioned your critique partners. Such a helpful part of the process. Where is the best place to find critique buddies (partners) for children’s books? I would love to join a group.Thanks.

Lori, I loved learning about your making of Famously Phoebe which is a SUPER fun. You should make sure someone nominates it for the cybils award! I’m a panelist, so I love having good books to consider!

This was so fun to read! Thank you for sharing all of those fun behind the scene facts. I loved learning about how this book came to be. It looks so cute. I would love to win a copy and share it with my children. They love great picture books, and so do I.

Congratulations and thanks for a super encouraging post, Lori. Love how you shared lessons learned, definitely principles to apply as one journeys along writers’ lane. I’ll keep pushing my pen across the page and maybe someday, I’ll get to share a Storystorm (PiBoIdMo) success story, too. 🙂 Thank you, Tara, for all you do for all of us. 🙂

I LOVE Famously Phoebe…and I LOVE Lori’s advice…PERSISTENCE does pay off…and so does participating in StoryStorm!!!! Thanks for sharing your Journey, Lori. And I’m excited for you to stop and chat on my blog this weekend!!!

Lori, Thanks for the inspiration. I just returned from a long trip, where writing fell to the wayside. Your post has inspired me to gather some of the notes I took, and evaluate my potential story starters. And Congratulations!

I am also challenged and conflicted by art notes but I’m feeling more confident than I used to. I would hate for anyone to think I’m to bossy! Lol! Thanks for sharing your journey and the go-between with your agent. Very helpful.

I loved your steps and the ideas you learned. Do you only make drafts of those someone else tells you they think it has a chance? I make drafts of most of my ideas and toss the ones I can’t come up with some part of. I haven’t been published so you ideas are very helpful.

Sometimes I draft a new idea I’m excited about and check-in with crit partners later down the line. It was after Storystorm, when I had so many ideas at once, that I found a second opinion helpful in prioritizing. Whatever works for you!